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Vondelayo's Success
Vondelayo with her husband and children.
My name is Vondelayo McPhaul-Burton and I have been a member of My Sister’s Place Women’s Center’s Families That Work “family”, since 2009. I have attended all of the programs the Department of Social Services (DSS) has to offer women who are pregnant, and I can truly say that Families That Work is the best one. My time in the three stages of the program was not only good for me, but for my baby as well. As I went through the stages I not only understood what I wanted from the program, but also what they expected of me, which was to gain and sustain full-time employment.
Below are the three stages that I went through and what I have learned about myself and what I am capable of accomplishing.
The first stage was a two-week course that allowed me to see all that the program had to offer. This was when the case managers discussed their expectations of me and I explained what I hoped to achieve. During this period, my case manager and I got to know each other. I came in saying I wanted to start my own business and be a spokesperson for those in similar situations as me. As soon as I said this, I was down in Annapolis speaking on behalf of all of us in the program that need a little help from DSS. I did a good job and enjoyed it so much that I decided to put in an application at the Maryland Department of Human Resources (DHR).
I started the second stage of the program, Career Readiness, after I had my baby. It helped me get ready to go back into the work force by giving me the tools I needed. I learned so much about myself in this class. I did not even know I was capable of most of the things that I did. By taking this class I learned that no matter how people see you, you and you alone know what you like and dislike about yourself, and only you have the power to change your future.
The third stage was Career Job Search, which is where I used all of the information from the first two stages of the program to secure long-term employment. By the time I was at this stage I was already waiting for the census and Maryland Department of Human Resources to call me back, but I continued to apply for other jobs just in case the other two potential jobs did not work out.
I am still in the program, but I am a full-time Office Service Clerk for the State of Maryland DHR and now have plans to start my own non-profit organization. I am grateful for all of the support and education that Families That Work and My Sister’s Place Women’s Center have provided for me.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Vondelayo McPhaul-Burton
Read more about Families that Work.
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